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Saturday, June 27, 2015

When travelling on a cross-country motorhome journey, evening mealtimes are difficult to predict. Will you find a suitable campground early enough to prepare a nice hot meal, or will you just settle for a quick-fix dinner if the arrival time is late? Well, if you are trying to make a good day in distance, the latter will more than likely be the case. But there is a way to enjoy a piping-hot delicious dinner, ready whenever you are, whether you stop at 5 p.m. or at 9 p.m. Yes, a variety of tender-cooked meat and vegetables, all prepared the night before, or first thing that morning, simmering in a hot crock-pot. Here’s basically what’s required. Your coach will need to be equipped with an inverter to alleviate the need ...Read more...

There are, and there is no doubt, many great views to be had in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin, but the most amazing one requires some physical effort.......no....not some....a lot of physical effort. Ever since our friend Debby (Bill and Debby's Wild Ride) described a hike she and Bill did a few years ago to the top of Mt. Tallac I have wanted to take the hike.....fortunately for us Richard and Rhonda (visiting Newell Gurus friends) are in town and wanted to add that hike to their ever burgeoning resume, so we decided upon fifth Saturday to summit Mt. Tallac. At TVC we sit at just over 6,200'.....the summit elevation of Mt. Tallac is 9,735'....give, or take a few inches.We agreed to head for the trailhead at 7 am sharp, and tr ...Read more...

The Roanoke Star is reputed to be the world's largest freestanding, illuminated, man-made star in the world. It is located atop Mill Mountain in Roanoke, VA, and was constructed in 1949 and has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Despite the cloudy weather, we visited the Star on our last day in the area with John's sister, Nancy, and her husband, John. It stands 88.5' tall and is illuminated with 2,000' of neon tubing. The outer star is red and the inner ones are white and blue. Different color configurations are used to significant important events of either tragedy or celebration. For example, just the outer red is illuminated to signify tragic events (similar to the concept of a flag at half mast). The st ...Read more...

Friday, June 26, 2015

She had been totally missing her Tilley hat and we hadn't heard back from them as to whether or not her old hat was repairable. So we were surprised when a package arrived yesterday. Apparently, the day they received her old hat, they inspected it right away and immediately sent out a new one.Now that's good customer service!Click here to read more... ...Read more...

We left Natchez Trace RV Park and continued on Natchez Trace Parkway for about 60 miles to our destination which is a well known RV park to Tiffin Motorhome owners. We checked in and were assigned site number 37 at the Allegro Campground in Red Bay, Alabama. For non Tiffin owners the Allegro Campground is a campground adjacent to the service center for Tiffin Motorhomes. We now find ourselves literally in a sea of Tiffin motorhomes… We pulled in on Tuesday, June 16th and we have no idea how long we will be here because once parked here you become on “Tiffin Time.” Again for those that don’t know, having service at Tiffin is done on a first come first serve basis… or so they say. After checking in and ...Read more...

Ready to be un-plugged again, we left our spot in Cedar City on Thursday night and drove an hour east and climbed in elevation to a peaceful boondocking spot in Dixie National Forest. Uinta Flat is at 8,100 feet, so temps during the day were in the high 70’s. To be sure we’d be comfortable, Brian positioned the trailer so we would get sun in the morning and mid-day, but in the afternoon we would have shade. Today we leave for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, where there isn’t any cell service, though there are rumors of wifi at the general store. The blog may be quiet for awhile. Dinner Last Night:Chipotle Bean Burritos. I love this recipe and have been making it for years. Chipotle chili powder substitute: 1/2 teaspoon ...Read more...

Our time was up for Panther Creek Park and time to move on again.We were soon on route 66. No not the famous route 66 but on a state route 66 in Tennessee.Then it was soon on I-81 heading north east and being pasted up by a military convoy. It was probably a national guard unit heading out for a place in need.After an hour or so we crossed into Virginia.We saw some beautiful valleys as we neared Wythville. Also some farm land.After a short stop at the Walmart it was north on route 52 for seven miles and then a short distance to the Stony Fork Campground which is in the Jefferson National Forest. We got the site with electric that always seems to be open and waiting for us. The campground has more people than usual, it looks as tho ...Read more...

Last night we had a cookout at our site on the new patio. It has been nicknamed the "Hatch Pad". We had a nice surpise when RV friends Rod and Debbie rolled into town. They were able to stay on the site right behind ours. It was so good to see them. I hadn't realized it had been three years since we had seen them. They were just in time for the cookout. Lots of food and laughter. Everyone had a great time.The finished patio. The boss man put some grass seed out so John has been watering it a lot. We tried to get the perfect picture but it took serveral tries. Uh oh somebody made us laugh.Ok. One more try.Here we are. This is as serious we could get. (Standing from ...Read more...

Newton, KS (north of Wichita) We dropping our daughter, Jessica, off at the Denver Airport on Wednesday morning for her return flight to Baltimore, returned to the motorhome, finished packing up, and headed east on I-70. After about 250 miles we pulled into High Plains RV Park in Oakley, KS for the night. We had stopped here two years ago so we knew it was a good spot for an overnight stay. The next morning we were ready to head out early but a thunderstorm moving across central Kansas caused us to delay a couple of hours. But just before 11:00 we were back on the highway continuing to the east. At Salinas we turned south on I-135, headed for Wichita. After another 250 miles we stopped for the night ...Read more...

Well, today would be the shortest leg in our journey north since we left Louisville - only 107 miles. Moving every couple of days is wearing on us, but this will be the last stop before we're parked for three months. We slept a little later than we intended, so we were delayed getting started by about an hour. I did my outside chores except for disconnecting water and electric. Linda said she was feeling "rushed", so I took a walk down a little path here at the Trego Town Park to the Namekagon River where there is a boat landing and what they call a swimming area. I then returned up the path and looked more closely at the campground. The host/caretaker/manager takes very good care of this place. &n ...Read more...

We're settled for the next couple of weeks in Custer, SD, in the heart of the Black Hills National Forest, just minutes from Custer State Park. Our home base, Custer's Gulch RV Park, is just outside the hustle and bustle of the touristy town and, even though we're now in prime summer season, we have decent site separation and our site backs up to National Forest land.Site #25 at Custer's Gulch RV Park.With absolutely perfect weather on tap we chose to do the most popular trail in Custer State Park as our first hike in the area; everything we read said this hike was worth the crowds. Of course the way to beat the crowds is to start early. We were on the trail early enough, 8:30am, to have a near empty parking lot and the trail practically to ...Read more...

We left Provo at 8:30 this morning. By 9-ish we were in Salt Lake City. On ramps were still being metered, so we were still in the rush hour. There is a lot of construction. In many areas the lanes are extremely narrow. It was not a fun drive. Given the extent of the work they're doing, I expect to see it going on for at least a year, if not longer. If you can give I15 a miss there, it would be improve your driving experience.Once out in the country, you see a lot of this. There is the occasional crop duster to be seen.We're in a new RV park called the Mountain Home RV Resort, located (oddly enough) in Mountain Home, Idaho. This is a delightful park. We are on a 90 foot, very level ...Read more...

Today we travelled from Tok to Valdez. When we arrived in Tok the day before yesterday, we immediately went to the Tok “Mainstreet Alaska” Visitor Center. This place has more information than anyone can possibly want about the state, plus … Continue reading → The post From Tok to Valdez appeared first on Island Girl Walkabout. ...Read more...

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Downtown Joseph. It doesn’t get much cuter than this!We come at last to the final post in my Wallowa series. I say “final”, but honestly there’s still a bunch of stuff we haven’t done here. The two weeks we passed in the area were perfect. We got a good taste of the place and we certainly couldn’t have planned it any better weather-wise (mid 70’s and sunny most of the time), but we’d need many more visits to fully see and experience everything there is to see and do here. That said, our previous excursions into the wilds and the depths of Hell made us long for some “city” stuff, and surprisingly, yet again this area delivers. Joseph and Enterprise are two super-cute towns that ...Read more...

While seeing family in Roanoke, VA, we decided to visit the Virginia Museum of Transportation. I had heard about this place but we had never taken the time to check it our during our previous visits here.The Museum was originally opened in 1963 at an old Norfolk and Western Railway freight depot located along the Roanoke River. In 1985, a flood destroyed the museum and much of the collection. It was re-opened in 1986 at is current location in downtown Roanoke, the Norfolk and Western Railway Freight Station. The station was built in 1918 and was recognized as a National Historic Site in 2012.This is a working model of a steam engine and tender that runs on coal. It was built from 1958-1978 from scratch by Bill Stull, an obvious lover of ear ...Read more...

On our last day in the Jasper area, and a work day at that, we took the short 30-minute drive to see Athabasca Falls. A well paved walkway allowed us to see the falls from all angles including from below the gorge itself. Standing at the top I could not help but be in awe with the volume of water falling into the gorge, and for the first time ever I looked into Kerri’s eyes and said with complete confidence, “not kayak-able”. ...Read more...

We hit the road this weekend and I am so looking forward to it. I’ve had a crazy few weeks at work with deadline-after-deadline and even though I am very thankful for my career and enjoy it, I am also very, very ready for a road trip vacation. We’re taking our Silver Girl to the mountains of Leavenworth here in Washington State and then onward to some dry camping over Blewett Pass and a riverside spot we scored at Salmon La Sac that is close to our property in Roslyn, Washington. I’ve got a serious hankering for some catch-and-release fly fishing, a cracklin’ campfire and some relaxation along with some down home cooking in my silver kitchen. My Silver Girl is all ready to go and I thought it would ...Read more...

After leaving Navajo National Monument we entered Colorado, where we were planning to hang around Cortez and Durango for awhile. With the heat we knew camping without hookups was not an option, so after stopping for gas in Cortez we continued north towards Telluride along Highway 145, part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway. Jim made me stop to pick up a pie at the Dolores General Store, where they had one rhubarb pie left, which was as good as we remembered from a few years ago. It really is a beautiful drive with the snow covered San Juans visible along the climb to 10,000’ Lizard head Pass. We had been this way in 2012 and stayed at Cayton Campground near the small town of Rico, but we were hoping to get a site at Sunshine ...Read more...

I happened upon an article the other day that described the world's fastest RV...they call it a motorhome, but that's a bit of a stretch. More like a campervan of sorts. But, it does have a toilet, sink, and stove and there is a sleeping area.And, it's for sale...Click here to read more... ...Read more...

The Northeast has plenty of scenery and greenery that provides thousands of places to spend the night in a tent, RV, or cabin. Hitting up the Northeast of the country this summer? Here’s a list of just a few great campgrounds, state by state, to get you started. Maine James Bates With a high percentage of forest cover, Maine provides for some of the country’s best camping. At Bar Harbor/Woodlands KOA, right at the gates of Acadia National Park, you can experience the hiking, biking, and fishing that Maine’s backcountry offers without saying goodbye to luxuries like heated pools and convenience stores. If you’re down for a trek to the northernmost parts of The Pine Tree State, consider camping at Aroostook Sta ...Read more...

Today's route was UT-191 to UT-6 to I15. The 191 section is fairly austere landscape. The road is good, there are many passing lanes. It was a pleasant drive. There is RV accessible diesel in Wellington.This is on the way up to Soldier Summit on UT-6. It's a major rail corridor. Look in the center low part of the photo and you can see the railroad tunnels. North of the summit, there is a respectable descent with 50 mph curves.It's greener as you get closer to Provo.We're at the Provo KOA. It's off exit 261, where there is also a Flying J. It's an odd truck plaza. There is one lane in and out (the same lane), so timing is everything when one wants to leave.It's a good park for a tra ...Read more...

St. Anthony Area, Newfoundland (52 degrees, chilly, grey skies) The Visitor Center at Grenfell has a great trail guide. We are in a veryÂ rural area and there are surprising trails tucked in many of the surrounding villages. We were traveling with Jann and Barry and Â stumbled across a spectacular overlook while trying to find the Treena's Trail. We got out of the car as the fog ...Read more...

Blog copyright Janet Groene, all rights reserved. For permissions, or to ask about ad rates contact HosterPoster@live.comWhy Take a Rental RV Vacation? Do you yearn to try the RV lifestyle? Already own an RV? Either way there are solid reasons to rent an RV here and there. I flew to Anchorage and rented there, leaving the RV in Florida. It allowed me two wonderful weeks in the Great Land without the long-cross-country drive and it also gave me a chance to try a rig different from our own. Let’s face it. Renting an RV is expensive but some things are even more costly, such as buying the wrong RV and regretting it later. Or using up most of your precious vacation time just to get to some far-awa ...Read more...

I Missed the Pacific: Back Camping by the Big Water Following the Montana Roadtreking Photo Safari, we hung around for a few days in the area, but both Sharon and I knew we had unfinished business to tend to, and... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome ...Read more...

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

If there is something we really love about New Mexico, it is the skies and the mountains. It makes us want to hop in a car & just drive – so we did quite a few times during Santa Fe stay. Our first trip was up to Los Alamos, as Keith was pretty curious about … Continue reading Driving around Northern New Mexico → ...Read more...

About 1 in 5 Americans regularly go camping and of those about 30-percent do so in a recreation vehicle according to “Camping and Camper” a survey conducted by Responsive Management, a resource firm specializing in natural resource and outdoor recreation issues. And, of course, not all campers are alike. “Wilderness campers tend to have different characteristics from RV campers and campers who utilize campgrounds,” states the report. “Wilderness campers tend to be younger and more avid outdoor recreationists than RV campers. “Wilderness campers have a higher likelihood of also being hunters, target shooters, hikers, swimmers, rock climbers, mountain bikers, anglers, boaters, and wildlife watchers. Pe ...Read more...

While were in Moab we stayed at the Portal RV Resort. Half of the property is regular campground and the other half is "resort" camping. Most of the resort sites are owned by people, and the sites are rented out when the owners are not in residence. The resort side has landscaping and access to the pool. The regular half does not have much in the way of plantings, and people are restricted to a pond. The pond actually looked like more fun than the pool. This is the regular campsite area. Interior roads are paved, sites are gravel.Now we are in the resort area. Interior roads are paved, sites are concrete. All vehicles must be on the pavement at all times. We were informed that ...Read more...

About Me

RV Stories is a page intended to bring stories of people RVing around the country all into one place. Many people share their stories on the internet and hopefully we will post some of the better stories with links to go to their websites.

Some may think, aren't you just re-posting others' content? I think of it as pointing to others' pages. I don't want to copy the travel diaries of other people, I want to highlight the travels.

I read a bunch of blogs of people RVing. I enjoy them. When looking at the posts, I try and focus on the posts that specifically have to do with travel and RVing. I think there are like minded RV people that get revved up when reading about other people RVing.